See that behavior it totally unacceptable to me. I don't want a dog that fawns all over someone as I find the equally as bad, but not a dog that won't approach a friendly visitor that I invite in. And to bark at someone I invite it would not fly at all.

See to me that is acceptable, except for the barking part, as long as its with in the breed standard. Eg if one of the beagles was avoiding strangers we would have a problem, but if one of the dobermans was avoiding a stranger I wouldn't care as long as its in a non aggressive way. If the breed is supposed to be aloof then they should be.

See to me that is acceptable, except for the barking part, as long as its with in the breed standard. Eg if one of the beagles was avoiding strangers we would have a problem, but if one of the dobermans was avoiding a stranger I wouldn't care as long as its in a non aggressive way. If the breed is supposed to be aloof then they should be.

That is why I said not the breed for me b/c that behavior is not acceptable. I don't mind a dog that doesn't want to be petted, but I don't want one to shy away when people come over. I have had over 50 Dobes through my house and none of them every shied away from anyone. If anything, they sat between me and the person to keep an eye on them, but never went out of their way to avoid them and If I said someone could pet them, they sat still and allowed it.

I like my Dogos. They protective, but if I invite a guest in, the are more than happy to welcome them and they shy away from NOTHING.

A friend of mine has a Rhody boy who had some fear issues as a puppy, but is becoming more solid as an adult with alot of socialization.

She's had to learn how to get around his odd temperament, but they're learing and growing together which is the most important thing.

He's really soft when it comes to learning new things and shuts down easily. But, when he *wants* to learn, he does so very quickly. He's a bit dominant and rough with other dogs. He is also one of those dogs that won't hesitate to meet force with force; a friend grabbed his collar once as his harness malfunctioned and almost came away with a bite.

They aren't, I think, regarded as a biddable breed, but I know RR's who compete in advanced obedience and agility. I don't regard them as a DA breed, maybe a few of them are selective, but most I know are amiable with other dogs.

The standard says they are aloof with strangers, and of the RRs I know, some are. I also know some that are quite friendly with strangers. I don't know any that I'd consider shy or fearful. They do seem fairly soft in a dog trainers sense, but I think that is typical of sighthounds. And of course, my Staffords are soft, so I think of it as normal.

Maybe my experiences are just slanted by the fact that all the RR's I currently know are agility dogs.

(eta: there are 2 different RR's in the photos, the playing one is Kavu)

They aren't, I think, regarded as a biddable breed, but I know RR's who compete in advanced obedience and agility. I don't regard them as a DA breed, maybe a few of them are selective, but most I know are amiable with other dogs.

The standard says they are aloof with strangers, and of the RRs I know, some are. I also know some that are quite friendly with strangers. I don't know any that I'd consider shy or fearful. They do seem fairly soft in a dog trainers sense, but I think that is typical of sighthounds. And of course, my Staffords are soft, so I think of it as normal.

Maybe my experiences are just slanted by the fact that all the RR's I currently know are agility dogs.

(eta: there are 2 different RR's in the photos, the playing one is Kavu)

She is pretty. I like her coloring, like the one I saw at the beach yesterday. I would probably consider one in rescue if the particular adult dog fit my needs, but I wouldn't take a chance on a puppy nor pay any real money for one. If I am spending my hard earned money it would be on a Dogo or Doberman. Those are the only 2 breeds I would ever consider spending money one. Everything else I like, I am open too in rescue. Got my Frenchie for $70 from a kill shelter and I could spend $2000 and not find a better Frenchie for me than the one I got. Granted I spent $1000 to get him healthy, but he was well worth it!

As for being handler soft, I just can not deal with a real soft dog. That is one flaw I find in the Amstaffs that I also love. My Amstaff girl was a great all around dogs, but so soft when it came to me. I let my roommate of 4 yrs take her when she moved out. She got along better with her than I did. My Greyhounds are not soft, while some can be, I have found many are pretty hard, those are the ones I keep. Ronon is the only dog that would probably bite me if I pushed him hard enough. He doesn't take any **** and will glare at me like I have 3 heads if I tell him to do something he doesn't want to do. Ripley the Amstaff would roll over and give me her belly if I even raised by voice and crawl and cower like she had been beat. Ronon could give a rats ass what I want! It is all about him. Stubborn, hardhead, opinionated asshole is what he is and I love that. We get along great for the most part until we butt heads. But I like a challenge sometimes, just not all the time. He will follow me to the ends of the earth though. He is my dog and anyone can see that. He is my shadow.

Biddable is not that important to me. If it was, I surely wouldn't have Greyhounds, Dogos, JRTs, Frenchie and a Boston Terrier.

As for being handler soft, I just can not deal with a real soft dog. That is one flaw I find in the Amstaffs that I also love. My Amstaff girl was a great all around dogs, but so soft when it came to me. I let my roommate of 4 yrs take her when she moved out. She got along better with her than I did. My Greyhounds are not soft, while some can be, I have found many are pretty hard, those are the ones I keep. Ronon is the only dog that would probably bite me if I pushed him hard enough. He doesn't take any **** and will glare at me like I have 3 heads if I tell him to do something he doesn't want to do. Ripley the Amstaff would roll over and give me her belly if I even raised by voice and crawl and cower like she had been beat. Ronon could give a rats ass what I want! It is all about him. Stubborn, hardhead, opinionated asshole is what he is and I love that. We get along great for the most part until we butt heads. But I like a challenge sometimes, just not all the time. He will follow me to the ends of the earth though. He is my dog and anyone can see that. He is my shadow.
.

By "soft" I don't mean sensitive or cowering, I mean "soft" in the dog trainer's sense, that they respond a lot to correction, or perceived correction. So the ones I know in agility, the handlers generally have to learn to go with what the dogs give them on course, because if they start redoing obstacles, the dog slows way down and can't make course time. Mine are like that too.

It may not be what you want, but that's what they are.

(oh, and in these photos, the RR that is playing is one of the puppies from the photos that you didn't like. The RR that is lying down is a different dog. Same owner.)

By "soft" I don't mean sensitive or cowering, I mean "soft" in the dog trainer's sense, that they respond a lot to correction, or perceived correction. So the ones I know in agility, the handlers generally have to learn to go with what the dogs give them on course, because if they start redoing obstacles, the dog slows way down and can't make course time. Mine are like that too.

It may not be what you want, but that's what they are.

(oh, and in these photos, the RR that is playing is one of the puppies from the photos that you didn't like. The RR that is lying down is a different dog. Same owner.)

Still don't care for them as puppies, I don't think they are cute. I do like some adult dogs, but not many. Still have yet to see one that made me go Wow! I am not soft and can be heavy handed. Some breeds I find do not do well with me. Danes for example. I like the way they look, but we do not mesh well at all.